South Tower
by Nightengale
Summary: Arthur and his best friend Tank go exploring at night in Hogwarts. Tank is an OC of mine, but trust me you'll like him


"You can't tell me, Arthur, that you do not enjoy this."

The two of them crept through the dark halls of Hogwarts castle some time after midnight. Arthur was no longer clear on the time itself as it seemed they had been doing this for quite some time, especially since Tank had felt a stop at the kitchens had been in order.

"I mean," Tank continued. "You have never been up to the south tower before and, let me tell you, it's worth it."

"I'm sure," Arthur muttered.

Tank jabbed Arthur in the side with his elbow. Choking back a cry Arthur just glared side long at Tank. The other boy had the end of his wand lit and was leading the way. Thus far they had not encountered any other people though they were getting some annoyed looks from the portraits they passed.

"You need to have experiences in life, Arthur."

"Oh yes." Arthur said, waving a hand in the air as they walked. "Life changing experiences at 1 AM."

"I know for a fact that you do not know what time it is," Tank said. "And as a matter of fact some of the most interesting things in life happen at 1 AM… like unicorn sightings for example."

"What?"

Tank laughed and shrugged. "That or ham sandwiches which you have to agree are very interesting."

Arthur could not help but laugh at that. Tank grinned at him in the darkness and slung an arm over Arthur's shoulders.

"Really, Arthur. One of us has to be looking out for you when it comes to excitement. Either you are studying, fawning over a certain Prewett or studiously following the rules. I have to be the one to save you from this hum drum well behaved behavior."

"I do not fawn," Arthur whined then added, "And I wouldn't exactly call my rule following studious, as you are well aware."

Tank chuckled. "That is true. I do recall the incident with Pringle."

"Oh, Merlin…"Arthur muttered.

"I could hear you from the other side of the portrait hole. 'oh no really I didn't mean to be out so late, Mr. Pringle' and 'Molly and were just…'" Tank mocked Arthur's voice in a manner hardly similar to Arthur's real voice. "And Molly looked so guilty getting back into the common room to safety without you! But have no fear. I told her you were perfectly able to handle yourself when it came to our lovely Hogwarts caretaker."

"Why thank you, Tank." Arthur glared good-naturedly. "I think I could have used more help getting into the common room. Do you know how much that hurt?"

"Ah, the joys of capital punishment!"

Arthur shoved Tank sideways and crossed his arms. "Arse!"

Righting himself again and walking ahead, Tank just laughed.

By now they had gone up two flights of stairs and around various corners until they were in a hallway with small windows high up at the ceiling and no doors. Arthur was beginning to think that Tank was just walking them around in circles or that he was quite lost. Just then Tank stopped short and put his hand against Arthur's chest to stop him too.

"What…"

"Shh!" Tank snapped. "Nox." His wand went out.

Tank stared out at the vaguely moonlit hall with an intensity which bordered on comical. Arthur glanced back and forth between his friend and the darkness. He didn't see anything. They both stood there completely still for what felt like five minutes to Arthur until Tank gasped.

"Ah ha!"

"What!"

Tank turned and looked at Arthur, pointing with his wand, his other hand still across Arthur's chest.

"Do you see it?"

Arthur looked and suddenly saw a shimmering outline in the wall to their right. It had not been there before. It was the shape of a door with an arch and a sort of sharp fiery pattern around it.

"What is it?"

Tank dropped both his arms and put his wand in his back pocket. "That, my dear Arthur, is the way to the South tower, only to be seen by a perfect angle of moonlight on a Tuesday."

"Tuesday?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Tank pursed his lips at Arthur then walked toward the door. "Don't ask me, I didn't make the castle."

The two friends walked over to the outline in the wall being sure to stay out of the path of the moonlight. Tank put out his hand and placed it flat in the middle of the slivery lines. Suddenly all the light on the wall came together in a bright circle around Tank's hand. Arthur shielded his eyes from the sudden light and when Tank pulled his arm down from his eyes there was an opening in the wall with stone stairs behind it leading up.

"Coming?"

They stepped through the arch and started up the stairs, Tank's wand lit and leading the way again. The two climbed up and up, twisting along with the narrow stairs.

"How did you manage to find this anyway, Tank?" Arthur asked after a bit. "I mean I know we can see the many towers Hogwarts has from outside but how did you manage to find this? Only to been seen by moonlight on a Tuesday?"

"Actually," Tank said, glancing back at Arthur. "I didn't find this myself. It was shown to me and I am just passing it on."

"Who showed it to you?"

"Cooper Braxten."

"He's a Ravenclaw, right?"

"Yes, after all, what else would you expect from a Ravenclaw than to find this? Though I have never seen a Ravenclaw quite so eager to show off his accomplishment when it wasn't class work related. Perhaps he has some Gryffindor in him. Ah ha!"

Arthur stopped short realizing that Tank had stopped.

"What?"

He peeked around Tank's left side to see a wooden door with a large brass handle. Tank turned and looked down at Arthur peeking around him.

"We are here."

Tank knocked four times on the door, waited a beat then knocked once more. Arthur heard a loud clicking noise and saw the door handle turn. Placing his hand on the knob Tank stood to one side to allow Arthur up next to him.

"Now, Arthur," Tank said. "Please be careful and don't hurt yourself or anything. I wailed myself in the head the first time I was up here and I don't want you to have to suffer any such bump as the one I had."

"Er…"

"Off we go then!"

Tank swung open the door and pulled the both of them through. The first thing Arthur noticed was that his feet were no longer on the ground.

"What the..."

He turned in surprise to Tank who grinned back at him. The two of them floated up into the air as if the laws of gravity has suddenly been turned off. Looking around Arthur saw the tower had no windows but the domed top of the tower itself was completely made of glass.

"It's like a levitating charm," Tank said twirling gleefully around. "Only we don't have to cast it and it doesn't stop!"

"How are we supposed to get back down then?" Arthur asked, wobbling uncertainly.

"Don't you know how to swim?" Tank said while doing a dramatic breast stroke.

"So, the south tower involves floating in the air? Why is it even like this?"

Tank spun around in the air and gave Arthur a look. "Do not tell me that you don't think this is very awesome because it is. And," Tank continued. "I don't know why it is like this, some professor's idea of fun from back in day perhaps?"

Arthur crossed his arms and looked down at his feet. He appeared to be at least 2 meters off the ground now. Deciding to give it a try Arthur pushed at the air beneath his feet and rose upward slightly.

"See?" Tank said, gliding by Arthur. "It's even more graceful than a broom and involves a lot less wood. Plus, its flying!" He struck a pose.

Arthur snorted and suddenly flipped in the air so he was upside down due to his laugh. Tank's face floated up to Arthur's.

"Try not to do that though, makes you look silly."

Pawing at the air to try and right himself Arthur managed a glare at Tank and flipped back over so he was right side up.

"So, is this it?" Arthur asked.

"Is this it!" Tank gave him a scandalized look. "Oh I am sure you float around in your head all the time but this is flying with nothing in your way." Tank swam through the air to the near by wall. "It's liberating." He pushed off the wall with his feet and went zooming to the other side of the tower. "You can tumble and twirl and swim all in a way you cannot on a broom. Didn't you want to fly when you were young Arthur? I mean really fly."

Arthur crossed his arms while slowly floating to a parallel position with the floor. "I have been on a broom before Tank, that is flying."

"Yes," Tank turned himself upside down. "But there is a tool involved."

"And magic isn't a tool?"

A raised eyebrow was Tank's response and he sighed. "Arthur, stop being a grump and just enjoy it. Check this out, there is more."

"Oh really?"

Tank pushed off the wall again and soared up to the top of the tower. Clumsily grasping at the air Arthur managed to force himself upward to the glass dome of the tower. Finally coming up along side Tank bobbing in the air Arthur noticed around near the top of the dome were small silver orbs of light which before he had just taken to be stars.

"What are..."

"Touch one," Tank said.

Arthur reached out his hand to touch one glowing ball with his fingertip. Suddenly he saw sun light and a young girl running in the grass. He pulled his finger back in surprise and saw Tank floating near him again.

"What was that?" Arthur gasped. It had felt so suddenly real.

"Its an early form of pensive, or so said Cooper. They must be hundreds of years old. Back then before pensives were around they could contain one important memory in these orbs."

"Whoa..." Arthur blinked in astonishment.

Tank shrugged. "I suppose they stopped being used since you could only hold one memory at a time and it must have been annoying to have to keep track of them. There is one with a jousting tournament in it! I don't recall which one..."

"Maybe that is what this tower was for then," Arthur postulated while looking around him. "Maybe it was for the founders to just fill up with memories!" He grinned at Tank and nearly flipped himself over again. "Think of what could be in here!"

"Hey, no one said these were _their_ memories Mr. Jump-to-conclusions!"

Arthur just rolled his eyes and touched another orb. A woman in a white dress with flowers covering her hair jumped into the arms of a man in blue. Arthur's hand fell away and he touched another, a long table with dozens of wizards and witches talking about muggle statutes. He touched another, an ancient looking castle in flames with three dragons flying around it's crumbling towers. Arthur blinked, let his hand fall, and turned over easily once in the air feeling suddenly so peaceful.

"Now aren't you glad I got you up here?" Tank said.

Arthur looked through the glowing orbs to the wide view of the Hogwarts ground outside, moonlight on the grass and the Qudditch pitch dark down the hill, the turned to Tank. "Of course I am."

Tank grinned widely. "I know the good stuff."

"Flying and a history lesson?"

Barking a laugh Tank blew a puff of wind out at one orb causing it to slowly spin by. Then he looked wryly at Arthur. "Something like that."

The two smiled then suddenly both shoved each other at the same time sending orbs circling about and themselves flying off backwards laughing. Bumping into the wall Arthur smiled happily. It was really amazing what could be found inside this castle.


End file.
